The New South Wales government has unveiled a $6.8 billion commitment to upgrade the South Coast rail line, pledging to electrify the route between Kiama and Bomaderry and deliver significant capacity improvements, just two days after abandoning a controversial timetable overhaul that had angered commuters across the Illawarra region.
Premier Chris Minns announced the plan in Bomaderry, describing it as the largest heavy rail infrastructure commitment in generations for the Illawarra and South Coast. Planning is expected to begin in 2027, with construction to be completed by the mid to late 2030s.
What the South Coast Rail Plan includes
The centrepiece of the package is electrification of the rail line between Kiama and Bomaderry, a move that would allow passengers to travel from Sydney all the way to Nowra without switching to the diesel train that currently completes the final leg of the journey. Additional tracks and passing loops between Wollongong and Kiama are also included, along with a doubling of the tracks between Hurstville and Sutherland to separate passenger and freight services.
Transport Minister John Graham said separating passenger and freight trains on that stretch would remove a major bottleneck on the network. "At the moment that's a real constraint on the network that will allow a service uplift for this whole line," he said.
The plan also incorporates $621 million in early infrastructure upgrades, some of which have already commenced with funding allocated through the most recent state budget as part of the Illawarra Rail Resilience Plan.
Illawarra Minister Ryan Park described the upgrade as a "must-have", pointing to forecasts that passenger demand on the line is expected to grow by almost 30 per cent by 2041.
Announcement follows timetable backflip
The timing of the announcement is notable. Just two days earlier, the NSW government scrapped a planned November timetable overhaul after widespread backlash from commuters who were facing longer travel times and the loss of an airport connection at Wolli Creek, despite being offered more frequent T4 and South Coast line services in return.
Minister Park confirmed no alternative short-term measures to improve the line are being considered, with the government positioning the major upgrade as the primary solution to longstanding capacity problems.
A promise decades in the making
The commitment carries significant political history. Labor first promised to electrify the Kiama to Bomaderry section at the 2005 NSW election, meaning the pledge has remained unfulfilled for more than two decades. A version of the upgrade was also proposed before the 2019 election by then-Liberal incumbent Gareth Ward, but that plan was scrapped in 2023 by the incoming Labor government and the opposition.
Premier Minns acknowledged the deep well of public scepticism that surrounds infrastructure promises in the region. "There's some people who will never believe it until they jump on an electrified train from Bomaderry," he said, adding that he hoped confidence could be built by pointing to other commitments his government had followed through on.
South Coast Labor MP Liza Butler welcomed the announcement, arguing the region had long been overlooked in favour of Sydney projects. "We have seen money tunnelled into Sydney Metro while we have been left behind. Well, no more," she said.
What comes next
With a state election due next year, the Minns government is framing the South Coast Rail Plan as a defining infrastructure commitment for the Illawarra and surrounding regions. The government has flagged that planning work will begin in 2027, setting up a delivery timeline that stretches into the mid to late 2030s.
For the hundreds of thousands of commuters who rely on the line, the key question will be whether this iteration of a long-promised upgrade makes it past the planning stage, given that similar commitments have stalled or been cancelled by successive governments over the past 20 years.
